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<br />Orozco, Norma <br />From:Pat D <pat7oaks@gmail.com> <br />Sent:Tuesday, February 02, 2021 6:27 PM <br />To:eComment <br />Subject:Why are you harassing El Centro Cultural de Mexico ? <br />As a long time advocate for the unhoused in Orange County, I was shocked to receive frantic calls several weeks <br />ago from community and other volunteers who were onsight and fearful of the life threatening harassment <br />targeting the unhoused outside El Centro Cultural de Mexico. El Centro Cultural de Mexico provides a range of <br />valuable community engagement activities. I am shocked and disappointed to learn that instead of supporting <br />their mission and community reach, by partnering with El Centro to address the needs of the houseless people <br />who congregate outside, the City of Santa Ana has decided to turn the blame for its failures to this community <br />organization, issuing repeated citations and fines instead of support and services. In addition to being offensive <br />and life threatening to those on the street, this practice is unconstitutional and discriminatory. <br /> <br />The City of Santa Ana is making unreasonable requests of El Centro. Has the city not learned from their past <br />punitive practices challenged in the court that this is not the way to proceed? Placing the entire burden and the <br />cost on El Centro and the community looking for shelter, further demonstrates that the City has terribly failed to <br />provide the services to help those with the greatest need and now demanded El Centro violate the CDC’s advice <br />on how to stay safe during a dangerous pandemic. <br /> <br />I am writing to support El Centro in that they have been placed in an impossible position as a small non-profit <br />organization and demand that the City of Santa Ana fulfill the following: <br />1. Rescind these improper citations and immediately discontinue the violations <br />2. Return all funds taken from el Centro <br />3. Take full advantage of the available project Roomkey Funding <br />4. Provide non-congregate placements and health services for all the people on el Centro’s property due to <br />the City’s failures <br />5. Provide support for organizations like el Centro that are working with community during a housing and <br />health crisis <br />I demand that the City of Santa Ana meet its obligations to the community including those without homes, <br />members and staff at El Centro, and our neighbors, instead of dumping that responsibility on a small local <br />organization. <br />Sincerely, <br />Pat Davis <br /> <br /> <br />1 <br />